kerry as his replacement for secretary of state hillary clinton. at this point, aides say to me that the president knows he can't let this linger much longer, can't leave rice or kerry hanging in the wind. expect an announcement perhaps by early next weeks. >> chuck todd at the white house, thank you very much. >>> we want to turn and get a check of the day's other top stories. natalie morales over at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. >>> ex-cia chief general david petraeus spoke out about his affair with biographer paula broadwell in a letter to his colleague james shelton nbc news has learned this morning. in the november 20th note, petraeus says, quote, i screwed up royally and tells shelton, quote, i paid the price appropriately and i sought to do the right thing at the end of the day. petraeus also praises his wife for standing by him. the affair brought about petraeus' resignation earlier this month. >>> renewed fears this morning that egypt could be on the verge of a second popular revolution as mohamed morsi addresses